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I’m tripping over their bodies,” said Sydney Seiler, the U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea from 2020 to 2023. “Kim Jong Un is selling North Korean soldiers as cannon fodder mercenaries,” South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said last month. It’s an entirely new environment for the North Korean soldiers, who live in one of the most isolated and repressive countries in the world. The Russian military is teaching the North Korean soldiers about 100 key military terms, but “North Koreans are having a difficult time learning Russian,” South Korean lawmakers Lee Sung-kwon and Park Sun-won said last month. North Korean soldiers’ inexperience could be another point of friction and a major factor in how they are deployed.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Sydney Seiler, Seiler, Gavriil, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Shigeru Ishiba, Kim, “ Kim Jong, Kim Yong, hyun, John Hardie, Lee Sung, Bruce Bennett, ” Hardie, Bennett, ” Bennett, Edward Howell, “, ” Howell, Stella Kim Organizations: Ukraine, North, NBC News, U.S, The State Department, Korea’s National Intelligence Service, NBC, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Getty Images, Economic Cooperation, South Korean Defense, Pentagon, Politico, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, North Korean, South Korean National Intelligence Service, AFP, Getty, Korean, Battalion, Russian Ministry of Defense, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, South, Sun, Rand Corp . Communication, Chatham House Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, U.S, North Korea, Russian, Kursk, Korean, Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, Getty Images North Korea, South, Asia, Lima , Peru, The U.S, California, Ukrainian, London, Seoul, Hong Kong

☆ North Korea launches suspected ICBM days ahead of US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Helen Regan | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Tokyo and Seoul CNN —North Korea conducted a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday morning, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry, which said it was believed to be the longest flight time yet for a North Korean missile. The launch comes just days ahead of the United States presidential election, and follows warnings from the South Korean intelligence agency that Pyongyang was planning on launching an ICBM around the election to test its reentry technology. The missile is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile fired at “a lofted angle,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It is suspected to have fallen outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to public broadcaster NHK, citing the country’s Defense Ministry. The US National Security Council described the launch as an intercontinental ballistic missile test, calling it “a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Gen Nakatani, ” Nakatani Organizations: Seoul CNN —, Japan’s Defense Ministry, United, Korean, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, NHK, country’s Defense Ministry, Japanese, “, US National Security Council, UN Locations: Tokyo, Seoul, Korea, Korean, Pyongyang

☆ Small number of North Korean troops are already inside Ukraine, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A small number of North Korean troops are already inside Ukraine, according to two western intelligence officials, and officials expect that number to grow as the North Koreans complete training in eastern Russia and move toward the front lines of the war. The North Korean troops’ presence inside Ukraine goes a step beyond what NATO and the Pentagon confirmed on Monday, which is that roughly 10,000 North Korean troops are training in eastern Russia with some en route to Russia’s Kursk region. A US official said the US can not yet corroborate reports that North Koreans troops are already inside Ukraine. The Russians have been teaching North Korean soldiers basic Russian commands in training, like “fire” and “in position,” South Korean lawmakers told reporters on Tuesday. ‘The number may rise’South Korean intelligence has put the number of North Korean troops inside Russia right now at about 13,000, higher than the US and the UK.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, catchup, Matthew Miller, Andriy Yermak, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Yermak, Sullivan, ”, Sullivan “, ” Miller, CNN’s Haley Britzky, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, North Koreans, North, NATO, Pentagon, South Korea, Korean, State, National, North Korean, South, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, White House, “ Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russia’s Kursk, Kursk, “, Koreans, Ukrainian, Washington ,, ”, North Korea, Moscow, China, Pyongyang

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has sent troops to Russia, the U.S. said Wednesday, its first public confirmation of a move that has rattled Western allies and could mark a major escalation of Moscow’s war in Ukraine. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting Korean People's Army soldiers at an undisclosed location on Oct. 17. South Korean lawmakers said Wednesday that North Korea had sent 3,000 troops to Russia out of a promised 10,000 to be deployed by December. That is twice the 1,500 the South Korean intelligence agency had reported being sent last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that two units of North Korean troops, with as many as 6,000 people each, were being trained for deployment.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Kim Jong, KCNA, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ”, Kyrylo Budanov, Vedant Patel, “, ” Austin, Zelenskyy Organizations: ”, Democratic People’s, Korean People's Army, Getty, Kremlin, South, South Korean, Directorate of Intelligence, North Korean, State Department Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, Rome, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Korea, AFP, Pyongyang, Moscow, Russia’s Kursk, Russian, Kyiv

The United States, Ukraine and South Korea say that North Korean troops were dispatched to Russia for training with the aim of being deployed to Ukraine. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin after signing a comprehensive strategic partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024. “We are developing scenarios to understand the potential impacts North Korea and Russia’s actions could have on us,” the government official said. The arrangement could also help North Korea gain real-world intelligence on the functioning of its weaponry. Soldiers march in a parade for the 70th anniversary of North Korea's founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 9, 2018.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Inna Varenytsia, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, ”, François Walschaerts, Foreign Affairs Kim Hong, Kim Tae, Defense Lloyd Austin, ” Austin, John Kirby, “, Carl Schuster, Ng Han Guan, Kim, Chun, ” Chun Organizations: South Korea CNN, Ukraine, NATO, Korean, CNN, National Intelligence Service, North, Maxar Technologies, Maxar, UN, Foreign Ministry, Getty, Korean First, Foreign Affairs, National Security Office, South, Moscow, Defense, National Security, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Russia, North Korea, Moscow, Pyongyang, Kyiv, Washington, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Koreans, South, Russia’s Far, China, Sergeevka, Russian, Brussels, AFP, South Korean, ” South Korea

South Korea’s military says North Korea is again flying balloons likely carrying trash toward the South, adding to a bizarre psychological warfare campaign amid growing tensions between the war-divided rivals. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday that the winds could carry the balloons to regions north of the South Korean capital, Seoul. North Korea last flew balloons toward the South on July 24, when trash carried by at least one of them fell on the South Korean presidential compound, raising worries about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. The balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt, South Korea’s presidential security service said. Experts say North Korea hates such broadcasts because it fears it could demoralize front-line troops and residents.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Seoul City Hall, South Korean Locations: North Korea, Seoul, Gyeonggi, Pyongyang, South Korea, Korea, Washington, United States, Japan, China, North Korean, Russia

☆ North Korean Trash Balloons Hit South Korean President’s Compound
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Weeks into North Korea’s campaign of launching balloons loaded with trash across the world’s most heavily armed border, some of them hit a symbolically significant target in South Korea on Wednesday: the presidential office in the heart of Seoul, the capital. North Korea has released more than 3,000 of the trash balloons since May, many of which have reached the South after floating across the Demilitarized Zone between the two nations. On Wednesday, for the first time, some of them landed inside the sprawling compound in central Seoul that includes the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The authorities did not say exactly how many had reached the compound, one of the most tightly guarded places in South Korea. The team found “nothing dangerous or contaminating,” South Korea’s presidential security service said in a brief statement.

Persons: Yoon Suk Organizations: Officials Locations: South Korea, Seoul, North Korea

☆ US flies long-range B-1B bomber over Korean Peninsula in first live munitions drop in 7 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The United States flew a B-1B bomber over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday in the first live munitions drop over South Korea in seven years as part of joint air exercises between the two countries, the US and South Korea said Wednesday. As part of the exercise, the US B-1B Lancer and two South Korean F-15K Eagles dropped precision 500-pound JDAMs (joint direct attack munitions), simultaneously striking multiple targets, the US said. The American bomber then flew with advanced South Korean F-35A and KF-16 fighter jets, as well as US fighters and tankers. “This training showcases the incredible capabilities of our combined forces to simultaneously strike multiple targets in a contested environment,” said Lt. Gen. David Iverson, US Force Korea deputy commander and Seventh Air Force commander. The joint training on Wednesday marked the first time the B-1B has conducted “a live munitions drop” on the Korean Peninsula since 2017 to demonstrate its capability to “precisely strike deep target,” South Korea’s defense ministry said.

Persons: ”, David Iverson, ‘, Kim Yo Jong Organizations: CNN, United States, Eagles, KF, US Force, Seventh Air Force, US Air Force Locations: Korea, South Korea, US Force Korea, North Korea, South

☆ North Korea claims to test underwater nuclear-capable drone after US, South Korea and Japan show off naval might
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Brad Lendon | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea on Friday claimed it had successfully tested an underwater nuclear weapons system earlier this week in response to naval drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan. North Korean state media on Friday did not show evidence for the success of the latest test, but warned the US, South Korea and Japan of the “catastrophic consequences” of their actions. Warships from South Korea, the US and Japan perform a trilateral exercise in the waters south of Jeju between January 15 and 17, 2024. South Korea's Defence MinistryAnalysts say it all points to an even more intractable North Korea. “If North Korea’s artillery fire near the inter-Korean maritime border was just part of routine training, it would be less concerning.

Persons: ”, Carl Vinson, KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong, Kim ramped, Staff Kim Myung, Leif, Eric Easley, Easley Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korea Central News Agency, JS Hyūga, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Warships, Korea's Defence, US Navy, Fleet, People’s Assembly, CNN Relations, South Korean Joint Chiefs, Korea's Defence Ministry Analysts, Ehwa University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, United States, Japan, Korean, Pyongyang, Jeju, U.S, Republic of Korea, Korea, KCNA, North, “ Pyongyang

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — South Korea called on the divided U.N. Security Council on Thursday “to break the silence” over North Korea’s escalating missile tests and threats. South Korea is serving a two-year term on the council. In a message clearly aimed at the United States and South Korea, Zhang expressed hope that while attention is mainly on North Korea, “other countries are also responsible to avoid further escalation.”France’s U.N. And he called it “a shame” that Russia is violating Security Council resolutions by “buying military stuff that they use in Ukraine" from North Korea. South Korea’s Hwang said all 15 members of the Council are worried that North Korea’s rhetoric and actions are “getting more and more serious.”But how to break the council’s silence and inaction?

Persons: “, Hwang Joonkook, —, Kim Jong, Kim, Robert Wood, ”, U.N, Zhang Jun, Zhang, France’s U.N, Nicolas De Riviere, ” De Riviere, Korea’s Hwang, Hwang Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Security, U.N, North, South Locations: South Korea, Korea, China, Russia, U.S, North Korea, South, America, “, United States, Ukraine

☆ Carlos Sainz wins inaugural Netflix Cup – and immediately smashes it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ferrari Formula One driver Carlos Sainz got his hands on the inaugural “Netflix Cup”, only to stare in horror as it tumbled out of them. Clutching a bottle of champagne in his other hand, Sainz was chatting with the American when the cup tumbled out of his grip. We’re here to have a good time.”Homa plays a shot in front of the Las Vegas Sphere. A $4.56 million dollar charity donation was offered by the PGA Tour if a hole-in-one was made, though no player achieved the feat. Lynch laughs with characters dressed in "Squid Game" outfits.

Persons: CNN —, Carlos Sainz, Justin Thomas, Sainz, Thomas, Pierre Gasly, Tony Finau –, Collin Morikawa –, Finau, David Becker, Gasly, McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alex Albon, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Joel Dahmen, Bert Kreischer, Kay Adams, Marshawn Lynch, “, ” Thomas, ” Homa, –, Lynch, Max Verstappen Organizations: CNN, CNN — Ferrari Formula, Netflix, Wynn Golf Club, Getty, Super Bowl, NFL, Las Vegas, PGA, Vegas, F1, Qatar, Prix Locations: Las Vegas

☆ A North Korean stunned world soccer when he scored in Serie A. Then Han Kwang Song went missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Gawon Bae | Andrew Mcnicol | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

But the Covid-19 pandemic led to North Korea fully sealing its borders, making it impossible for Han and fellow repatriated North Korean nationals to return home. PyongyangHan was born in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in 1998. The opening of North Korea through sport seemed like a door that would not be closed any time soon. They followed the Olympics and soccer,” former North Korean men’s soccer national team head coach Jørn Andersen told CNN Sport, adding that he had limited contact with the North Korean public during his time in Pyongyang between 2016 and 2018. Holding a North Korean passport, Han was no exception to these sanctions, despite his preternatural soccer talent.

Persons: Han Kwang, Qatar’s, Han, –, Hahn, hea, Kim Jong, Pyongyang Han, Kim Jong Un’s, Kim, Alberto Mier, Jørn Andersen, ” Andersen, Han Kwang Song, Enrico Locci, YuMi, Rome –, Choe, “, Mario Berreta, ” Cagliari’s, Max Canzi, ” Canzi, ‘ Tell Mario, ”, Canzi, Nicholas Pennington, Tullio M, Pennington, ” Han, Juventus –, Duhail, Sandro Stemperini, Qatar Han’s, Andersen, hasn’t, he’s, ” Anderson, regretfully Organizations: CNN, Juventus, Little North, South, CNN Sport, United Nations Security Council, North, Pyongyang International Football School, CNN North Korea, Korean, soccer, team, North Korean, Bundesliga, Liga, KCTV, FIFA, Cagliari's Serie, Chievo Verona, Academy, ISM Academy, AC Perugia Calcio, Cagliari, Canzi, Serie A, Perugia, Getty, AC Perugia, Juventus ’, Serie, ISM International Scouting Center, UNSC, North Korea, DPRK, Democratic People’s, Al, Qatar’s, Qatar Stars, Qatar, UN, Fiorentina, Sport, Qatar Stars League, “, Qatar Airways, – Locations: Korean, Italian, Pyongyang, South Korean, North Korea, Qatar, London, South Korea, Germany, Italy, England, Spain, Perugia –, Italy’s, Umbria, Rome, Europe, “, Cagliari, Puglia, Seoul, North Korean, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Qatari, Korea, North, Ahli, ”, Doha, China, Russia

☆ South Korea's LGBTQ community confronts crushing headwinds in fight for equality
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Michael Mitsanas | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

NBC News spoke with South Korean lawmakers, human rights organizations and dozens of LGBTQ South Koreans in three of the country’s largest cities: Seoul, Daegu and Busan. Most say a bill that would outlaw discrimination against all minority groups — including the LGBTQ community — is the critical first step toward legal equality. The documentary filmmaker turned progressive lawmaker calls herself an advocate for this country’s LGBTQ community. This, he added, “includes South Korea.”While support for a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill is strong in South Korea, Jang concedes that the odds of one passing, at least in the near future, are slim. The country’s conservative president and People Power Party oppose a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill, while the left-leaning Democratic Party has expressed lukewarm support.

☆ North Korea says missile tests were practice to attack South and U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s military said Monday its recent barrage of missile tests were practice to “mercilessly” strike key South Korean and U.S. targets such as air bases and operation command systems with a variety of missiles that are likely nuclear-capable. Almost all other North Korean missiles launched last week were likely short-range, many of them nuclear-capable weapons. They place key military targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there, within striking range. Later Monday, South Korea’s military disputed some of the North’s accounts of its missile tests. On Saturday, the final day of the air force exercises, the United States flew two B-1B supersonic bombers over South Korea in a display of strength against North Korea, the aircraft’s first such flyover since December 2017.

☆ South Korea issues air raid alert after North fires missiles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Air raid sirens sounded in South Korea after the North fired about a dozen missiles in its direction Wednesday, at least one of them landing near the rivals’ tense sea border. South Korea’s military said North Korea launched more than 10 missiles of various kinds off its eastern and western coasts. The North Korean missile’s landing site is also 104 miles northwest of South Korea’s Ulleung island, where an air raid alert was then issued. It said South Korea has strengthened its surveillance posture on North Korea. Some experts still doubt North Korea could use nuclear weapons first in the face of U.S. and South Korean forces.

☆ U.S. and allies warn of ‘unparalleled’ response if North Korea holds nuclear test
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that an “unparalleled” scale of response would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test. Washington and its allies believe North Korea could be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017. “We agreed that an unparalleled scale of response would be necessary if North Korea pushes ahead with a seventh nuclear test,” South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong told a news conference in Tokyo. “We urge (North Korea) to refrain from further provocations,” Sherman said, calling them “reckless and deeply destabilizing for the region. “We hope indeed that everyone on the Security Council would understand that any use of a nuclear weapon will change the world in incredible ways.”

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